In the cold season, warm air rises and migrates to colder areas of a building, while during the summer, cool air tends to slip outside the living space. When a building cannot hold cold and warm air inside, we use HVAC systems to increase our thermal comfort, which results in increased energy consumption and costs.

Roof and ceiling insulation is designed to act as a barrier to air migration, therefore investing in it will bring you a number of benefits, and the cost of your investment will be absorbed over time. Besides experiencing a better thermal comfort regardless of the season, you will pay less for the energy bills. It is estimated that about 50-70% of the monthly energy cost is for heating and cooling our living space; with properly installed insulation, we can save up to 50% of these money.

Considering that roof and ceiling insulation is quite expensive, most people will compare the benefits and costs of each option and typically choose the cheaper one. However, the best thing is to have specialists insulate both of these areas of your house, because this is the way to enjoy all the previously mentioned benefits.

In Michigan, local contractors are available for a variety of projects in every area. The construction industry in the area is quite advanced, and you can find a job fairly easily, whether you’re interested in becoming a professional electrician, or you’re looking for an opening as an architect, roofer skilled in roofing Livonia MI homes or siding installer.

When it comes to dealing with Michigan contractors in search of skilled workers, consider the following tips:

Don’t limit yourself to the job you’re trained for. Seek to gain more experience, even if it means accepting work as an unqualified construction worker. That will ensure you can get better offers later on, after obtaining references from several employers.

Get out there! Don’t wait until employers consider your resume to be suitable enough to earn an email response. Ask your friends, family and former colleagues to help you find contacts who might have a good lead on a new job. Also, you might want to actually go visit a few contractors and ask them if they have any available work.

Learn to sell yourself. Contractors will respond better to a cover letter that tells them exactly how you can contribute to making their projects more successful.

With these tips you can find a good contractor who will hire you in no time, with an offer for a good salary, and with a high possibility for developing your career working for their company.

It’s not always an easy task to find good employees. Even though in some areas the unemployment rate makes it so that most workers can’t be picky, the construction industry is a volatile trade, and you have to plan your move in advance in order to be successful.

While a lot of construction companies hire employees only when they need them the most, this isn’t seen as the best practice for this particular industry. As an employer, you should always be on the lookout for the best talent, and hiring in times when most construction contractors aren’t looking for additional workforce can be a practical solution to many problems – from finding qualified workers to paying less for their skills. As a Shelby roofing company hiring a skilled roofer is of most importance, as it determines the satisfaction of your customers.

Another issue has to do with staffing employees based on specific skill levels. Although it’s understandable that you might want to find the most qualified construction worker for a specific job, sometimes it may be best to look at other options as well – including the possibility of considering unqualified workers that you can then train yourself for a unique position within your company.

Contractors that embrace technology also have a higher rate of success than those who cling to the “old ways.” Since most millennials are highly tech-savvy, you’ll find they respond better to working for a company that makes use of advanced tech solutions for anything from common communication and inventory tasks to preparing construction materials.

Do you want to improve the appearance of your home? Maybe you’d like to add unique elements to make it look original and modern, or you’d prefer a traditional, “old school” design that will bring your visitors back in time to an age when architecture was more of a refined art.

You can consider these options and many more, taking into account the unique shape, size and design of your home, as well as your landscaping arrangement, when adding new exterior elements such as siding, roofing, unique metallic gutters or new windows.

One of the main exterior remodeling trends these days has to do with replacing old metal siding with stylish vinyl or concrete. For the best siding products ask a local roofing company East Lansing offers, for all your options. Your home’s roadside appeal will improve, and the durability rating of any of these materials will be high enough to help you avoid buying new siding for the next 5-6 decades.

Another good option is to replace your windows with a more fashionable and energy-efficient set of products that will help you save up on heating costs. Vinyl replacement windows have a wide selection when it comes to style and design, and you can also save a lot of money due to the affordable installation options associated with this type of window.

Finally, you might want to consider replacing your old roof with something more unique. Instead of asphalt shingles, consider metal or slate roofing, or the more affordable composite shingle roofing, to avoid future repair costs for at least the next 2-3 decades, and opt for a more stylish and modern look.

While they aren’t mandatory, gutter screens can give you an excellent solution to the age-old problem of having to replace old gutters too often, or needing to keep them in check by performing routine cleaning and maintenance work 2-3 times per year. In fact, most of the licensed roofers experienced in roofing Commerce MI homes highly recommend them. The question is, would it actually be worth the expense to have gutter screens installed?

The cost of gutter screens per square foot can be as little as $1-$3 for materials only and up to $30 per square foot, if you choose some of the highest quality products on the market. As a result, the range you can consider will differ depending on the quality and durability of the materials, the complexity and difficulty of the installation job and the size of your home.

Of course, living in an area with problematic weather conditions will also involve a greater necessity for better quality gutter screens. In such cases it is worth to invest as much as $2,000 or $3,000 per installation, since the alternative would be to leave your home exposed to severe water damage over the course of a limited amount of time.

If you feel having new, top quality gutter screens installed by a professional might be too expensive, one option would be to install them yourself. A DIY job may be somewhat difficult, but it can save you $2 to $12 per foot in the case of aluminum gutter screens and even more if you choose screens with mesh filters, surface tension solid covers or custom combination gutters/covers.

Home insulation is essential to protecting your home from extreme cold or heat, and it can also play an important role in saving energy. With gas prices on the rise, it can be hard to stay afloat during the difficult Michigan winters. However, with the right amount of insulation you’ll not only ensure that your home is up to code and able to pass home inspections with ease, but you’ll also reduce the amount you have to pay to support your heating costs.

The state of Michigan is among the coldest in the country. There are two distinct areas of the state where two different standards for insulation apply. In the north you’d normally experience much lower temperatures than in southern Michigan, which is why the recommendations for this area is to install the thickest insulation you can. This means you will require R-50 to R-60 for your attic, R-5 to R-6 for the wall sheating and up to R-21 for the cavity, up to R-30 for your floors, and a maximum of R-60 for your ceilings.

In southern Michigan, the standards are somewhat more relaxed, but you might still need to go up to R-60 when it comes to attic insulation. The only real difference between the two locations is that the minimal standards can be used in the south, while the experts in Dexter MI roofing will usually recommend the most layers you can add.

Michigan is a place where the temperate climate of the northwestern United States dominates. The wind speeds and temperatures are not typically as problematic as in areas like Kansas and Texas, and the temperature differences can be quite low between winter and summer. Nevertheless, cold winters and extremely hot summers are not unheard of, and in order to properly protect your home, you will have to take into account the fact that colder winters in northern areas like Sault Ste. Marie can lead to temperatures of below -10 degrees.

Fortunately, vinyl is one of the most durable and resilient siding material you can choose. It often comes with a lifetime warranty, and most manufacturers and the certified Port Huron roofing contractors will tell you that it can withstand insane wind speeds of more than 160 mph.

Vinyl, however, is probably the perfect long term solution to fit the Michigan weather patterns. It isn’t just known to withstand high winds and intense storms, but it can also resist in the face of extreme heat and cold, and most products are practically maintenance-free.

Many manufacturers have rated their vinyl siding products to be capable of resisting in its original state for up to 50 years. However, even with some minimal maintenance you may be able to extend that life span at least by a few years.

If you sustained an injury of any type – or any other accident that involved a second party, whose insurance company is trying to contact you through an insurance adjuster – it’s important to know precisely how to deal with the adjuster. Insurance adjusters have a lot of experience, just talk with a roofer experienced in roofing Canton MI homes, they will tell you to be precise as well as honest.

A common mistake people make is to avoid talking or giving the adjuster any kind of information upfront. This is wrong, because it allows the adjuster to assume that you’re fine, and you haven’t sustained any injuries whatsoever.

Talk to the person politely, give a full, detailed and accurate account of your injuries and medical bills, and then simply refer them to your attorney for any additional concerns they might have.

An important additional note is to be mindful about medical payment policies, especially in Mighigan, where slip and fall cases will warrant this type of policy, leading to the insurance company paying for some of your medical bills whether or not you were at fault. Some homeowner policies allow for a “med pay” amount of $1,000 - $5,000.

If the adjuster or insurance company is hinting that they’d like to settle your whole case for that amount, remember that they owe you that money regardless of who was at fault, and have your attorney fight for your right at receiving fair compensation for your injuries.

Roofing trends don’t all change in a single year. However, with Michigan’s growing housing industry and increased focus on hi-tech construction, it stands to reason that many new roofing products and trends are also in store for this year and the next.

Since asphalt shingles are affordable and easy to install, you can expect them to remain among the top roofing materials in 2017. However, unlike in the past, some modern asphalt roofing system, fitted with all the upgrades locally owned and operated roofing companies have at their disposal, can last for up to 30 or even 40 years.

Roofing tiles that are able to mimic slate and wood, but without the high cost and problematic, high maintenance issues that come with these products, are also showing an increase in demand, especially among Michigan homeowners who are in search of classic designs and practical construction benefits for their new homes.

As for commercial and industrial roofing solutions, you’ll find TPO to be the most popular product this year. Whether you own an office building or just a small store, TPO membrane roofs can provide you with increased protection against UV rays, and prevent chemical exposure, making them one of the most efficient industrial roofing solutions of all.

Michigan contractors can often do wonders when remodeling your home, improving your landscaping, or installing new, cutting edge appliances, fixtures and upgrades to make your home more energy-efficient. Making certain that a local contractor can be relied upon, however, is not the easiest of tasks.

The first step to hiring a reliable contractor is to make sure the person you’re thinking of hiring is supported and endorsed by trustworthy people. Networking is a good way to find out about all the best local contractors, or you can ask colleagues, family members or neighbors whose homes were recently (and successfully) renovated.

If you opt to check online for reliable contractors, make sure you check their reviews and background. You will want to find a reliable Shelby roofer that has great reviews too! You have to find out whether the Better Business Bureau has any complaints or warnings regarding the company in question, or whether people are generally satisfied with their services.

Also, make sure to head to the contractor’s official page or website, and look for proof that they have a license and a good insurance policy. If the online information you find is inconclusive, call them up and ask to be provided with the proof in question, before you will consider hiring them for your project.

Through these quick and straightforward activities, you can easily make sure, not only that the contractor in question can be depended upon, but also that they can guarantee to do a good job when working on improving your home.